Canadians - Where to buy clothes?

[Cyber0066]

Where do you guys buy your designer clothes other than the big stores like Holt Renfrew or Harry Rosen which never has sales. I don't know of any other places where I can buy clothes without having to pay retail. If it's online...I'm assuming the shipping and customs charge would kill the deal. Suggestions (I'm in toronto btw)? And please don't recommend ebay.

 

[Jared]

In the States. Seriously, what I've realized I have to do is make a trip to Seattle occasionally to try as much on as I can and then order stuff based on that. Good luck with Detriot and Buffalo!

 

[Cyber0066]

Originally Posted by Jared

In the States. Seriously, what I've realized I have to do is make a trip to Seattle occasionally to try as much on as I can and then order stuff based on that. Good luck with Detriot and Buffalo!

mm, i was hoping that wouldn't be the answer.

I don't have the opportunity to go to buffalo/detroit that much. Plus we can only claim $50 tax-free stuff at the customs for a 1 day trip.

 

[chorse123]

Given what I understand are the duties, you would probably save enough money by flying down for a shopping trip. Or find sellers who will mark as a gift, not that I know anything about that.

 

[Cyber0066]

Does anyone buy from online stores in Canada?

 

[tattersall]

Originally Posted by chorse123

Given what I understand are the duties, you would probably save enough money by flying down for a shopping trip. Or find sellers who will mark as a gift, not that I know anything about that.

Gotta love the chorse123...

Also try shopthefinest and virtualclotheshorse.

 

[ceaton]

Originally Posted by Cyber0066

Does anyone buy from online stores in Canada?

Like, canadian online stores? No, not really. Duty sucks, but it's a price I'm willing pay for well made and fitting clothing.

 

[clownmitts]

I've taken to buying shirts from charles tyrwhitt and tm lewin on sale and just sucking up the duty. The shirts are much nice than anything you can buy in the stores here in my opinion.

 

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by Cyber0066

Where do you guys buy your designer clothes other than the big stores like Holt Renfrew or Harry Rosen which never has sales.
Um...Holts never has sales? Everything I buy from there is at least half off. You just have to buy off or end of season items. I would go to the flagship on Bloor and befriend one of the better salespeople (i.e. the friendly ones). Ask them to notify you whenever they're having a sale.

Uncle Otis is an amazing streetwear store in Yorkville, Klaxon Howl is another one. I would try doing some searches, there have been some excellent discussions about TO stores recently.

A

 

[gj555]

Nowhere. I don't buy designer clothes

Some people are fond of "Made in Italy" on Dufferin north of Finch. Though, I have never found anything there. The Holts outlet, while not very good for classic men's suits, seems to have a lot of fashion designer stuff (from last season?).

 

[trogdor]

Are the Holt's Last Call and Harry Rosen outlet stores still there? They're always a good bet, if you're prepared to wade through some rubbish. You'll have a hard time finding shoes, though.

Winners is sometimes good for some mid-range things; I've seen Borelli shirts in the one at College Park before, and they always used to have reasonable selection of serviceable ties (nothing terribly high end, but reasonable nonetheless). I was never impressed with the Winners on Bloor street, but I've seena couple of pairs of Allen Edmonds in there (although there was a reason that those shoes never sold at full retail, if you catch my drift).

If you're into it, and you're prepared to put the search time in, Kensington market sometimes has some decent things -- I've picked up a Brooks Brothers suit, a Burberry Trench, Ralph Lauren Polos and some Dior ties there for very low prices.

I must admit, that Toronto's not _brilliant_ for picking up good deals on clothing, but compared to Cork, it seems like a shopper's paradise.

 

[Demeter]

I'm not very familiar with Toronto, but it should be the same everywhere for small boutiques. They have big sales every single season where you can get at least half off of whatever's being sold. And I'm not talking ugly ducklings, either.

You won't find anything like a C21 or Filene's there, but there's plenty of deals to be had in the smaller stores.

 

[fatherseanfan]

here's what i do:

1. Ebay
2. Buy at Holt Renfrew in January and July, when everything from the previous season is 70% off. (Rarely are the sale prices good at Rosen.)
3. Stock up when going to the USA (hopefully in January or July, to get sale prices there, too.)
4. If I really want something from the US or UK, I buy it online and have it sent to a friend living in the US or the UK, and then they ship it privately, or I have them go to the store and get it and then ship it. You save a ton that way, especially for UK stuff as the shipping can sometimes be more than the cost of a shirt.
5. Winners for the occasional item.